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blue-flamed-phoenix · 2 years ago

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Chapter 3 - Curiosity

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Time skip (a few hours later)

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<-Previous Chapter<-

Hayley's P.O.V

I fiddled with the bandage wrapped around my hand. After I left the canteen earlier today I punched a wall. I just felt angry and punched a wall out of anger. It was definitely dumb and incredibly stupid but hey I just got so angry. I made my way to the kitchen where the lunch ladies were making dinner for the inmates. Once I got inside I sat on one of the silver benches as I greeted the lunch ladies. I called out to Martha and Jill while they were at the stoves. "Hey Hayley, where have you been all day?" Jill asked curiously. "Visiting inmates on the third floor." I replied. "Oh my what have you done to your hand darling?" Martha asked noticing my hand as she looked over her shoulder. "Punched a wall" I replied as I played with the bandage. "What! Hayley did you get angry again?" Jill asked as I nodded. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You can't be doing that Hayley, you should go to the med floor, get your hand checked out." Martha said as she lifted the big metal pot off the stove and over to another silver bench across from me.

"I can still move my fingers, I think it's just bruised." I said holding my hand up while moving my fingers. "You say that now, wait till it inflames into a giant blueberry." Martha replied in a motherly tone. "You gotta control that anger of yours Hayley, sooner or later it could get you into a lot of trouble." Jill told. "I know Jill, hey where's everyone else?" I asked wondering where the other lunch ladies were. "They are helping bring in the new shipment of food that just came in this afternoon." Martha said as she moved to a draw. She opened it and pulled out a red box. I immediately knew what it was. CHOCOLATE. I reached out with grabby hands as I said "gimme, gimme, gimme". Martha handed me the box and I thanked her. As I opened the box and began eating the chocolate, the other lunch ladies came in with boxes and bags full of food and stuff. "Don't eat too many of those, you'll get sick." One said as they all walked through the kitchen putting stuff away.

The lunch ladies liked me better than the rest of the inmates. They were all practically my adoptive parents. All 12 of them. As the ladies packed away the food they had brought into the kitchen, they took all the cooked food out to all the inmates on the different floors. This left me alone in the kitchen as I didn't feel like following them. I sighed and continued eating chocolate. I am addicted to it, who isn't? I heard the kitchen door open and knew right away that it wasn't one of the ladies. I turned my head to see Jerome standing there. "Might I ask what you're doing in the kitchen? I thought most inmates weren't allowed down here." I said as I ate another chocolate.

"Well I'm not most inmates, gorgeous." Jerome said as he stalked towards me. "Huh, I thought you were most inmates" I responded, my tone dripping with disinterest. "Careful gorgeous that sharp tongue can get you into a lot of trouble you know." Jerome said smiling. Hisscarsmade his smile look twice the natural size but still I remained unfazed. I watched as Jerome stalked towards me while I ate the chocolate that was still in my hands. "If you're looking for knives, they're all locked up, I don't have the key" I said as my boredom of this conversation grew larger.

"Oh trust me gorgeous, I have many ways with locks." The ginger said as he drew closer to me. "Huh, oh my gosh, I think I just had an epiphany, it's almost like I don't care." I said sarcastically as I faked surprise. I closed the chocolate box and jumped down from the bench. I walked past Jerome, the chocolate box in hand as I walked towards the doors that led back outside the kitchen. I could sense Jerome was still looking at me as I opened the door. However, I stopped and looked back at Jerome to see he was looking at me.

"Oh kitten, I hope you realise the guards don't care about what happens in here." Jerome said which sounded like a threat. "First off, don't call me kitten, secondly I know the guards don't care. I've been here a lot longer than you have Romie." I answered as I walked out of the kitchen and into the hall. I realised I had given Jerome a nickname. Romie ha ha, I like that name. I went to Oswald's room. The door was open and Oswald was just sitting at his desk.

Without knocking, I stepped inside and sat down on his bed. As soon as I sat down, he turned around and looked at me questioningly. "Sorry for walking away before in the canteen" I apologised as Oswald gave me a surprised look. "What?" Oswald said cluelessly. "I just wanted to apologise for leaving you with the ginger. I guess you could say I lost my temper a bit." I said as I opened the chocolate box again. I held the box out for Oswald to take one. "Want one?" I asked and Oswald gave me a suspicious look. "Oh come on, where's a girl like me going to get poison from and I prefer not to kill my friends as soon as I meet them?" I insisted still holding the box out.

Eventually Oswald took a chocolate and thanked me. "I don't remember you ever asking me to be your friend." Oswald said as he ate the chocolate. I chuckled. "Well it looked like you needed a friend back in the canteen. You looked miserable, I figured you could use someone to talk to." I explained. "You just walk up to random people in here and talk to them just like that?" Oswald asked with a surprised look. I nodded. "Almost everyone in the asylum knows me, considering I've been here my whole life, after a while you lose the fear" I said to which Oswald nodded. "So what did the ginger have to say while I was absent?" I asked curiously.

"Not much that's worth repeating. But I don't think he's planning to leave me alone so I'm probably going to be sleeping with one eye open tonight." Oswald muttered to which I nodded and looked around the cell. "Well, hopefully things get better." I said as I looked at Oswald. "I'll see you tomorrow Oswald. Good night" I replied as I bid Oswald farewell. "Goodnight Hayley" I heard him say as I walked out of his cell. As I walked down the dark hallway, I reached a large vent and opened it. I climbed in and shut the vent behind me. I climbed up the vents until I reached a certain floor of the asylum. The Comatose and vegetative state ward.

I opened a vent and crawled into the ward. I shut the vent behind me and stood up. I began to walk past each bed that had a patient in it that was either in a coma or a vegetative state. That is until I made it to one particular bed. My father's. I got a chair and sat at his bedside. I grabbed his hand and held it in both mine. I looked at my father's pale, weakened face. I could hear machines beeping and the ventilator helping him breathe in the background.

"Hey dad," I said as I looked at him. "Sorry, I haven't been up here in awhile. It's been hectic down stairs, especially in the violent ward." I apologised. "I missed you, I hope that you are doing OK in there. A lot has happened in the last few months." I began to explain as I just sat there and talked not knowing if he heard me or not. "More and more inmates have been coming to the asylum, a lot more than usual." I explained and so for the rest of the night I told my father about the latest things that have happened in Arkham Asylum.

By the time I finished talking to my father it was almost dawn. So I said goodbye to my dad and climbed through the vents again only this time I climbed to the top floor.

->Next Chapter->

#gotham #gotham fandom #dc gotham #gotham fanfic #jerome valeska fanfiction #jeromevaleska #jerome valeska #arkham asylum #gotham penguin #oswald cobblepot #stripes 3

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years ago

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Fully Completely 3

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape (series), violence, mutual irritation, harassment

This is dark!Loki x reader and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Series Synopsis: There’s a new face in Birch and he’s come to haunt your door.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown, When the Weight Comes Down, and Little Bones

Note: On to part three. Sorry for being a human disaster.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. ��

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter 3: Or it will move right through me

💀💀💀

Jerome annoyed you as he picked through your tool box and clicked the ratchet noisily. He was excited but impatient and complained that you were taking so long. You told him if he wanted to pay out of pocket for labour, you could finish faster.

You sat by his bike, parts strewn at your feet, and bent your head to look under the tank. You still had a lot to go and hadn’t yet added anymore of the gross chrome to the frame.

“Do you realise how filthy this is gonna get?” you huffed as you sat up and leaned your elbows on your legs, “not to mention how ridiculous it looks.”

“I like it. It’s just my style,” your brother grinned, “I don’t remember you spending this much time on Bucky’s ride and you and him--”

“He had me replace the tailpipe, you want nothing short of a rebuild,” you scoffed, “and you’re not the boss.”

“Don’t remind me,” he rolled his eyes, “guess it could be worse though. It could be Steve.”

“Thank god it’s not,” you chuckled, “I don’t know how many women had to toss beer in his face before he latched onto that mousy one at the bakery.”

“She’s nice,” Jerome shrugged, “far as I know. She doesn’t talk to anyone but Steve.”

“I wonder why,” you tisked, “he has insecurity written across his forehead.”

The tinny bell rang and the door whooshed open as the wind caught it. Jerome glanced over and dropped the ratchet noisily into the drawer of the tool box. You growled in warning as you spent much of your spare cash on those. He apologised quietly as he squared his shoulders at the man who appeared.

“Hey,” Bucky wiped the flakes from his hair and blew out a shiver.

“Bucky,” Jerome said rigidly.

The other man nodded and stepped further inside the garage. He shoved his hands in his pockets and paced aimlessly around the concrete floor. You watched him as you fiddled with the bolt in your hand.

“You wanna head down to the bar?” It wasn’t a question as Bucky came to face you, “I gotta talk to your sister.”

“Sure,” Jerome replied sharply, “you got it, boss.”

Bucky grumbled and waited for him to leave. He sniffed and kicked his toe into the floor.

“So… what’re you doing here? Been a while so must be urgent,” you sat up on the rolling stool and stretched your back.

“The whole town’s talking about it. You fighting him,” his brows drew together, “I told you I’d take care of him.”

“You didn’t,” you said evenly, “so I did.”

“I talked to him--”

“And said what?” you snorted.

“Look, you don’t understand. You said it yourself, you don’t care about my business. You don’t get what’s going on but what I need from him is bigger than your temper.”

“Excuse me? This is my fault? He broke into my shop, he followed me from that diner and he put his hands on me,” you stood and tossed the bolt away, “what do you want me to do, Buck?”

“First, I want you to remind yourself who I am. We’re not fucking anymore so that mouth isn’t as cute,” he warned, “and I want you to play nice.”

“All you have to do is keep him away from me. How hard is that for a man like you, huh? You’re the big dog.”

“Watch it,” he pointed at you, “I won’t tell you again.”

“He’s here to deal with you, not me,” you insisted, “he grabbed me, I defended myself, and I’ll do it again.”

“This isn’t grade school anymore, you can’t fight the boys,” he sighed.

“What are you saying?”

He was silent as his jaw ticked and his blue eyes strayed to the ceiling. You stepped closer and gripped your hips as you stared him down.

“There’s nothing else I can do for you. Nothing else I will do. He’s your problem.”

He met your glare and you scoffed in disgust, “you’re fucking serious? What do these idiots have on you?”

“It’s not what they have on me, it’s what I want from them. I’m planning for something bigger than Birch, that means there’s gonna be some sacrifices,” he shrugged.

“Sacrifices? Is that what you call it? Well, here’s one for you, the next time you get a little scuff on your tank or your headlight starts to flicker, you can head down to Carl’s,” you scowled.

“Don’t do this,” he gritted through his teeth.

“I can get business without you. I do better work than Carl, you know that. So go, I’ll deal with that asshole on my own, how I see fit.”

He inhaled and lifted his chin. He closed his eyes and thought.

“Damn it,” he swore, “you can’t make anything fucking easy. What is it with you women and your god damn--” he lifted his hand and stopped himself, “you get in the way of my business, and you won’t be so worried about Loki.”

“Oh yeah? That’s what he said about you,” you mocked, “what’s with you men and your egos?”

His lip curled and he breathed through his teeth. His eyes lit up and he punched his palm as he turned away quickly.

“I hope he has his fun with you. Maybe he can fuck some sense into you,” Bucky growled, “God knows I tried.”

“You weren’t that good,” you snipped.

He kicked the shelf of wipers hung near the front of the shop and grunted. He stormed to the doorway and stopped to look back at you.

“You’ll be wishing it was me…” he hissed.

He waved you off and continued through the front door, slamming it behind him loudly. You stared at the scattered packages of wipers and bit down on your tongue. You wanted to run out and strangle that idiot but you knew how he could be. It was the reason you broke off your little fling; he was too much like you. Hard-headed and volatile.

💀

You weren’t going to change just because the town was overrun by asshole men. You were standing your ground and that meant you were going to finish your club sandwich and enjoy one lunch without interruption.

The café was busier that day as the snowfall dwindled and the streets were mostly cleared as the plows made their regular rounds. You looked through the window as the school kids stopped by the bakery for hot drinks on their lunch and circled the rim of your mug with your fingertip. You sensed it was only the lull before the storm.

Further down you could see the corner of The Asp and heard a rumbling engine. Your shop remained empty except for Jerome’s bike. Since Bucky’s visit, you were too worked up to concentrate anyway. You wanted to take your wrench and knock every man in town in the head with it.

Nora brought your sandwich as Kimmie didn’t work on the weekends and your side of soup. You would eat both and leave satisfied. You wouldn’t let anyone ruin your day off. Well, not that you had very much to do aside from that.

You dipped your crusts in the tomato soup and stared at the seat across from you. Empty. Perfect.

You scooped the last of the bowl into your mouth and wiped your lips with the napkin. You stood and gulped up your coffee. You left money on the table and headed out. A peaceful, solitary lunch all to yourself.

You skipped the shop and continued down the street. You pushed into the hobby shop you rarely ventured into, more a bookshop if you were honest. You greeted the man at the counter with a smile. When you were a girl, you remembered he ordered you a special set of paints as the ones in his store were all dried up. Lu, you recalled his name.

You went to the shelves of models and looked over the new arrivals. You took the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am off the shelf and smirked. Your father had one just like it when you were a kid. It wasn’t exactly new. You grabbed a bottle of black paint with it, always running low on the stuff, and headed for the counter.

Lu punched the buttons on his till and you heard a creak. Light footsteps emerged from the basement of used books as you opened your wallet.

“I didn’t take you as bookish,” Loki’s voice made you cringe.

You didn’t answer and counted out the bills for your purchase, “actually, you got any glue? I didn’t see any on the shelf.”

“Hmm, oh,” Lu turned and bent to reach into a box, “haven’t stocked up but these came in just before the storm.”

He added the orange and white tube to your bag and you added another bill. He counted out your change and handed it to you.

“Quite interesting what small towns can hide,” Loki didn’t wait to step up to counter and stood close, his sleeve against yours, “An antique edition of Whitman. One of the only Americans I read.”

You looked down at the worn tome, the edges fraying and the letters faded. It was marked up to a couple hundred. You could appreciate a love for reading but you weren’t entirely sure some old paper was worth all that.

“I’ll need the reading material as my visit has been prolonged,” he mused as you grabbed your bag and headed for the door, “my brother is due to return so I will stay in his place… get to know the town of Birch more intimately.”

You hid your disgust at his words and continued out the door. His exaggerated tones stuck in your head as you passed the window and absently swung your bag. You hated him. You really did. You should have bashed him over the head with that dumb book.

You thought of that day in the snow and smiled. You knew that shame lingered in him. You would have no problem repeating that scene.

You came up to your shop and stopped short. The burly redhead who arrived with the pestilent man stood at your door, peering in through the window, angling his head as he tried to see around the blinds. You cleared your throat as you neared.

“Something I can help you with?” you asked dully.

“Oh, ah,” he turned and laughed at himself, “I thought… Loki, I thought he’d be here.”

“No. He wouldn’t be,” you said, “he’s down at the book shop.”

“Thanks. He apologise?” He prodded.

“You seem to know him well. You think he did?” you challenged.

“Ah, nah,” he smiled awkwardly, “s’pose he didn’t.”

“S’pose he didn’t,” you echoed, “it would be smart if you kept him away from here.”

“Yeah, uh, should do,” he sidled past you and you listened to his heavy boots clump along the beaten snow.

You took out your key and unlocked the door. You closed it quickly behind you, that man’s presence set you on edge. He hadn’t shown any of the venom of his associate but he was loyal to him. You double checked the locks on all the doors and made certain all windows were closed.

You went up stairs into your apartment and stripped off your coat and boots. You sat at the small table where you ate those dinners you didn’t forget and unpacked your new model. You sorted the pieces and spread out the instructions. The image of the car on the box brought back nostalgic memories. You wouldn’t know all you did about bikes if it wasn’t for your dad. You missed him every day for the last… too many years.

You lost yourself in the tiny parts. You hunched over the table and carefully dabbed glue onto the plastic. Your eyes began to itch as the windows dimmed and you got up to turn on the lamp. You kept building well after dark and finally left the half-finished car on the table.

You stretched out your limbs as you stripped down to only your loose tee and yawned. You fell into bed and turned on the old tube television. You hit play on the VCR and the loud previews blared from the boxy speakers. You rolled yourself in your comforter and sat through the same movie trailers you’d watched a dozen times.

You were never a romantic but you the movie was another shadow of your childhood. Your grandma used to watch Kathleen Turner whenever you went to her place. She would serve you yogurt and berries and turn on the cheesy action flick and if you slept over, she would put in the sequel right after.

Your rituals kept you sane. You found it was easier to know what to expect and given your temper, it was better not to be surprised. You were always the trouble child and you regretted all those times your dad had to come talk to the principal or walk you home from school. You promised him you would be better.

Still you didn’t regret what you did. He always told you to stand up for yourself. Hell, he taught you how to throw a punch and all your best insults were inherited from him. You smiled as you thought of him and hugged your pillow as the intro played and the credits flicked up one name at a time.

You drifted off in the glow of the television and the sound effects sank into your dreams. You were still in Birch but thick vines had grown around all the buildings and billowing leaves shrouded the skies. The town had turned to jungle and you could hear the growls and grunts of beasts unseen.

You spun as a twig snapped and a snake uncoiled from a branch and fell into the brush at your feet. You stepped back and it slithered towards you. You stumbled and ran away as you could hear its skin smoothly glide through the grass at your feet. You tripped as its long body wrapped around your ankles and you crashed to the ground.

You struggled as the snake constricted your body and wound its neck around to face you. Its green eyes shone as its black scales gleamed. Its tongue flicked against your cheek and you felt its hot breath as it opened its mouth and revealed long, frightening fangs. You screamed as its bite loomed and you woke with a start.

The visions of the wild jungle faded but the heat did not. You blinked as an amber haze took over the room and you fought through your messy blankets and tumbled onto the floor. Your curtains were alight along with much of the wall. You bachelor was blazing with orange flames and you could barely see the door through the smoke.

You coughed and scrambled to your feet. Your eyes streamed and you blindly ran for the door and flew down the stairs. The shop was almost entirely engulfed as you reached the lower landing and you fumbled with the front door as flames licked closer and closer.

You burst out into the frozen night and your feet were numbed by the ice and snow. You retreated from the burning building, your life set aflame, and turned back as you reached the sidewalk. Sirens screamed and made you wince as you crossed your arms and chattered against the cold.

“Pity,” the slither made your skin crawl, “though I suppose it is a blessing you at least saved yourself.”

You glanced at Loki as your vision blurred with the tears of realisation. Everything you had was turning to ash before you. You blinked away the droplet and sneered at him. He smirked and you knew. He smirked and he knew. It wasn’t an accident.

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owl-house-incorrectly · 2 years ago

Note

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me

I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed

She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb

In the shape of an "L" on her forehead

Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming

Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running

Didn't make sense not to live for fun

Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb

So much to do, so much to see

So what's wrong with taking the back streets?

You'll never know if you don't go

You'll never shine if you don't glow

Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play

Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars break the mold

It's a cool place and they say it gets colder

You're bundled up now wait 'til you get older

But the meteor men beg to differ

Judging by the hole in the satellite picture

The ice we skate is getting pretty thin

The water's getting warm so you might as well swim

My world's on fire. How about yours?

That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored

Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play

Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars break the mold

Go for the moon

Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play

Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars

Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas

I need to get myself away from this place

I said yep, what a concept

I could use a little fuel myself

And we could all use a little change

Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming

Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running

Didn't make sense not to live for fun

Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb

So much to do, so much to see

So what's wrong with taking the back streets?

You'll never know if you don't go

You'll never shine if you don't glow

Hey, now, you're an all star, get your game on, go play

Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars break the mold

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars break the mold

Thanks to Colinboi, Joas Jerome, Edgar Gimenez, Memer, Alexander for correcting these lyrics.

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Writer(s): Greg Camp

Greg Camp told in an interview about the inspiration to write this song, "About 85-90 percent of the mail was from these kids who were being bullied or their brothers or older siblings were giving them shit for liking Smash Mouth or liking whatever they're doing or the way they dressed and stuff. So we were like, 'We should write a song for fans.'"

Originally these lyrics had a couple of lines before the chorus "My momma said to me. 'Son,' she said to me".

The "Go for the moon" line was taken from a collection of the Apollo moon mission sounds issued by NASA.

The music video has scenes from the film "Mystery Men" (1999) where this song was featured. Some of the actors from the film, including Hank Azaria and Ben Stiller, also make cameo appearance in the video.

This track was used in the opening scene of the animated film "Shrek" (2001).

AZLyrics S Smash Mouth Lyrics

album: "Astro Lounge" (1999)

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Who's There

Diggin' Your Scene

I Just Wanna See

Waste

All Star

Satellite

Radio

Stoned

Then The Morning Comes

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Defeat You

Come On Come On

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Can't Get Enough Of You Baby

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yackers · 4 years ago

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Why Jerome Cheating Wasn't Out of Character and How It Actually Developed Him Further as a Person: an unproofread rant/essay by a bitch with too much time on her hands

okay first I just wanna talk about the circumstances round him cheating. Like he definitely could’ve made better choices and in no way am I saying he’s not to blame but he and Mara were very much broken up when he first started dating willow. Jerome was being a dick in the business competition, but it wasn’t exactly a break up forever kinda mistake. He apologised multiple times in varying degrees of big gestures, to which mara did not respond to or make any move to forgive him. Sure, a lot of this was to do with the sisterhood but it’s not like he knew that.

I think he only went for willow because not only did she help him with his schemes without question, she was also willing to take the punishment all in good fun. In no way were they right for each other but she messed around with him in the costume closet and had fun with her the way he never did too often with mara without being interrupted by mick. Mara then, a while after ignoring his various attempts came up to him and told him she’d forgiven him and they were now back together. He definitely should’ve just told her there and then that he had kissed willow, but he was already starting to question their relationship and honestly I still think it would’ve crushed her.

I think that Jerome only ever wanted to be with mara because he put her on a pedestal as some perfect unattainable girl. He pined over her for years before she showed interest. She was sweet to him and treated him as a human with feelings when the others often wouldn’t but I don’t think they were ever right for each other. They were cute in season 2 but although she helped him with his dad she constantly overstepped with him and poppy and always held a sense of righteousness over him like on donkey day. I think especially once they were in a relationship she expected him to be a different person for her in ways that would change who he was. He looks visibly uncomfortable with the nicknames and is constantly shown to be at her beck and call in a way that is less playful in comparison to season 3 Alfie and amber.

The whole trying to then get away with having two girlfriends whilst he makes up his mind on who he wants to date therefore makes perfect sense for his character as in truth he doesn’t actually wanna date either of them. Willow is fun but not serious and mara is serious but not fun. willow and him was only really ever a fling, as shown by how quickly she moves on. And Jerome is literally an asshole it would be unrealistic at this point in his development for him to handle the situation maturely and lay his feeling out to them because he barely knew what he was feeling and he is self identified sneaky. Are we forgetting that he used to manipulate Alfie for money, literally broke up mick and mara and consistently just makes the worst choices readily available to him. Yes he did gaslight willow and lied to mara but it’s nothing he hasn’t done before and was presently above doing again.

Joy being the one to find out first and see the comparison table is important to her relationship because there is all the worst parts about his character laid out on a platter for her. I think often mara completely avoided seeing how cruel and insensitive he can be at times and thought the others exaggerated it which is why she took the cheating so hard because she didn’t see it coming. But joy knows he’s flawed right from the start of their relationship, including his taunting of her near the beginning of the season. They also have a lot more shared experiences as shown during the ceremony scenes at the gatehouse. They’re both actively mad at each other but yet still come together against Alfie and Patricia and then the teachers. Mara never knew about anything Jerome went through in the first two seasons but joy did.

A really key part of his character development is when mara makes the cruel comment about his dad. I think if anything it shows how wrong they were for each other. Joy’s speech about being the bigger person is a turning point for him. Like mara, she wants him to be better but she says it from the perspective of someone who acknowledges that they too have done shitty things in the past. I think the ‘if you can bare it’ is important too, because she’s acknowledging to him that being a good person isn’t easy especially for people with upbringings and pasts like theirs. I think for the first time he actually feels understood. The ‘my lady’ scene confirms this.

Joy never requires him to be too mushy and vulnerable to her publicly. She’s playful and jokes around and anything sweet he says to her he says because he means it, not because it’s something he thinks she wants to hear. Their letdown washing date it so key to his growth like he’s able to joke around with her in a space where he can also freely talk about his dad and his insecurities about being allowed to scheme and be himself without having to be cold hearted because of it. He tells her she’s a good listener because he’s being heard without anyone looking out for poppy or his dad or the greater good over his own feelings.

One of the biggest signs he’s changed is when he knows that the play is a plot to embarrass him and takes it on the chin, admits he made a mistake and just hopes that it helps mara move on. And he just seems so much more into joy than he ever was anyone else, he even says it!! Unlike mara he isnt following her around like a puppy and doing as he’s told he gets distracted by her as she walks in the room and calls her names and is just!! I think the show is so good at writing couples that don’t have to be mushy and all over each other to show they care and mara is right they are kinda perfect for each other. They both have made mistakes in the past but they’ve grown up and there isn’t an unequal balance of a bad guy and a better girl who wants to fix him. He’s respectful of mara and backs away from joy around her without taunting and fighting back like season 1 or 2 Jerome definitely would’ve. He changed for the better organically on screen and I think his arc was done really well. You can tell by the way he he cries when he overhears about the revenge plot how much he really cared and he broke up with her to protect his own feeling but as soon as he realises that her feelings were genuine he tries to get her back. Not in flashy empty feeling gestures like before but by expressing how he feels.

Im not saying he didn’t develop a lot over the course of season one and two and that mara didn’t play a big part in that development but I think to truly be better he had to take a step back from pretending to be perfect to get the girl of his dreams and actually take the time to work on himself.

And in terms of the cheating/revenge plot line itself it had to be something big and time consuming this season that took up all the characters not involved in the mystery’s time whilst also giving them their own arcs and stories within it. sibuna were literally soulless for a portion of the season which could only work if they were distanced from their close friends outside of it like Jerome and joy because they were far too wrapped up in their own shit to notice. And they’re teenagers! Of course trying to date two girls at once and orchestrating the plot of John tucker must die is a dumb bad idea!! But so is literally every other thing they do in the show because they’re naive and half of them were left there by their parents to rot and have been kidnapped in the past of course they’re not rational!! I actually found the whole sideplot an entertaining break from the darker themes of the third season and throughout the whole season you can feel the characters are 17/18 instead of 15/16 like in the first season, there’s gonna be more romantic motivation to their actions.

In conclusion/ TLDR: just because a character makes mistakes doesn’t mean they lost their development or they were out of character. Interesting characters aren’t good people all of the time and thats what makes it entertaining.

#I have not read through this #sorry its soo long #this is NOT meant to be mean to anyone who disagrees!!#you're entirely entitled to you own opinions this is just mine #please feel free to add on #house of anubis #txt #s3 watch #jerome clarke

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valeskakingdom · 3 years ago

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Time to give us the boost it needs (part 6)

*3 weeks later*

3:15 am.

The time has come.

It was time to escape.

Everything seemed perfect: The guards stopped checking on Jerome and Scarlet since they got aware of them making plans to escape. Ever since, they checked on them everyday; they prohibited them from sitting next to each other, they let Scarlet relocate to another cell because they were afraid Jerome and her would communicate through the shafts. The guards even organized that Scarlet and Jerome wouldn't be able to see each other again. The asylum had two groups of inmates that separately visited the rec room. If group one was in the rec room, group two waited in their cells - and so it was the other way around. Since Jerome was in group one, they put Scarlet in group two. The communication between the two of them was completely dead.

For Jerome it was horrible. He freaked out. How did they dare to separate Scarlet from me?, he thought, nobody separates a king from his queen! They will regret that! I will make them feel the pain and despair I now feel!

Oh boy, you could tell, he missed his little Patel more than anything. Every day he thought of her: the dark beautiful eyes that shined every time she saw him - that's what he thought. Or the sweet scent of he smelled on her every time she sat on his lap and he could wrap his arms around her. Or what about her soft flawless skin? Her touch was softer than a bunny's fur. And her voice - he could just swarm about her voice, it was like music in his ears.

And the more he thought about all that, the more he wanted her. He couldn't stand a day without her any longer- he needed his Scarlet.

For Scarlet, the situation was odd. Did the guards know about her plan to escape? It at least would explain why they became so suspicious about Jerome and me, she thought. She missed Jerome, but she would never admit it. Showing feelings was for the weak and too unprofessional - and she wanted to be professional.

The guards weren't dumb, as well - they knew Scarlet hid her feelings for Jerome. She tried to avoid all this - so the guards provoked her with asking questions like: where's your little king, Scarlet? Don't you miss Jerome? How is it being so all alone?

It annoyed it, it annoyed her a lot. It firmly pissed her off. Of course, she missed him. Of course, it was all odd not hearing his laugh, not sitting on his lap while his arms were wrapped around her stomach. She longed for him, eventually she was addicted to him in a certain way.

All she knew was: she wanted him and she needed him.

***

Currently, Scarlet sat on the edge of her bed, playing with her Walkie-Talkie Sionis' friend gave her. She was thinking. Was everyone well-prepared enough? Was everyone well-informed about the plan? Did everybody checked on the bombs? Did everything work the right way?

Yes, they decided to place bombs on several police cars as a distraction. Scarlet admitted, it wouldn't be that bad. Less cops would walk through the floor which means the chance of getting caught was lower.

She became a little nervous as nothing really seemed to happen. There was no screaming, no guards that started to run, no bombs that were exploding. Not even Jerome was saying a word which was a little concerning - so she pressed a number and started to speak to Sionis' friend.

"Scarlet here, everything's alright?" Just the thought of something that might not work, was giving her chills. It wasn't fear she felt, it was nervousness and edginess. Somehow she could tell, something would work wrong - her feelings told her so. She just couldn't tell what. Was it the bombs? Or Dobkins who shitted in the bed? Or even Sionis' friend? She wasn't sure.

"Yes. Bombs are placed on cars and foreyard. The crucial shaft to escape is in a cell near the rec room. I'll lead you there as quickly as possible." A dark raspy voice resonated through the device.

"Are there any signs of shift changing already?"

"Most of the cops started collecting their shit together. Otherwise nothing in particular, yet."

"Alright." Scarlet released the button,still holding the walkie-talkie in her hand. Everything seemed fine so far. No complications, no changes. The chances were high we could escape today, she thought.

She stood up, making her way to the door to take a look out of its little window. There was no cop on the floor, everything was quiet and empty. Just the light was flashing a little. Not even the other inmates were screaming or making other kinds of noises.

She was honest with herself, she was curious where all the guards were, so she slightly pressed her ear against the cold metal door. No sounds either.

The cops had to be downstairs still, she thought, now would be a great time to escape. No struggle with the cops so we could easily escape through the shaft. The only risk we had were the cops we might meet outside the asylum.

"See you tomorrow, guys! Tell Gemma congrats with the baby!" She suddenly heard a guard who was about to leave.

"Thank you! Ask Gina to make us some peach pie! Her pie is gorgeous!" Another guard said, chuckling.

"Why don't you marry Gina to get your pie every day?" All the guards chuckled.

"Nice try, Louis! See ya!" I heard a door shut and some guards finally left. Interesting what they're talking about while working.

"Gina must be a good cook if she gets orders for her peach pie." Scarlet flinched and almost dropped the walkie-talkie. Jerome scared her away with his sudden comment, it came so unexpected. She was firmly in trance when she heard the guards speak.

"Fuck, Jerome!" Scarlet hissed in anger, flinching, almost letting her walkie talkie fall. She hated it when someone terrified her like that. She felt how her pulse was running now, she needed to take some deep breaths to calm down "You scare me again and I cut your head off! What do you want?!"

"Just missed your pretty voice, doll" She could feel his grin through the walkie talkie. He was happy to have an opportunity to talk to his lady. Even though she was pissed off, he totally enjoyed hearing her voice.

"We don't have time for stupid small talk" Scarlet looked through the door's spy again to watch the guards. They just walked the last meters along the floor to the exit. One of them was

"We have all the time we need, relax a little. We're just in time." Jerome assured her "Hey, I got an idea how to torture your brother when we're out! You gonna lo-..."

"How about we both shut up for a few minutes and focus on the plan?" Scarlet hissed and kept looking through the spy. She was a little bitch when she was stressed - oh, she knew that. But she had a reason why: The plan was the highest priority. So all she did was focus on her work - she literally zoned out. She couldn't think of something else.

"And people say I'm inhibited..." Jerome shouldn't have said that. This comment made her mad. She was stressed already and with that, Jerome was just increasing her stress level.

"At least I didn't get caught after my first kill, asshole!" In fury and madness, Scarlet threw the walkie talkie away from her. She hated Jerome for that moment. How could he be so annoying? Didn't he understand the gravity of the situation? Wasn't he worried that anything could fizzle? How could he be so self assured that everything would work perfectly?

"Alright, guys, I'll leave work for the day! Just gonna check whether everyone's locked!" Sionis' friend chuckled - he was a corrupt cop, who mostly worked at police stations. This time though, he was here in Arkham.

"No! Dave can do that!" I heard someone yell "Go home!"

"It's okay guys. I'm on my way already!" Sionis' friend started walking upstairs to our floor.

Scarlet heard him strolling over to us while whistling. He pretended nothing bad happened, as if a normal guard would do his walk - and so he also gave some annoying comments like 'hey you freaks! You're still awake?' or 'I wonder how it is being stuck in a little cell like a stupid dog'. Well done, Scarlet thought, he indeed did a good job as a guard. He said it so loud that the other guards heard it and started to laugh. They shouldn't become aware of him helping the inmates to escape. He would lose his job as he couldn't help Sionis anymore - which meant he couldn't help Scarlet as well.

Sionis' friend then silently opened Dobkins cell door right before he tiptoed out of it. Dobkins trembled whimpering and nibbled on his finger nails. His torso moved extremely uneven which showed he was nervous and probably his voices tried to force him to do stuff he didn't want.

Sionis' friend turned to Dobkins whispering to him that he should make noises and run around, insult the cops, destroy any kind of devices - then he gave him a little gun - then he told him even to shoot at cops to get his attention. He also warned him never to run in circles, just to run upstairs and downstairs in another block to escape. He also gave Dobkins a little walkie talkie and told him to start screaming when he told him to do. He said at first, he needed to walk away further so that no one could make any assumptions of him helping all of us to escape.

Dobkins stared at Sionis' friend confused as if he wondered: What does that prick want from me? I shoot at cops? I scream at them?

But then Dobkins crazy look turned into a weird smile and he nodded fast - he got it. He loved this idea. He'd love to shoot at cops. He didn't even think about all the consequences, that he'd eventually die or that he wouldn't be able to escape with the others. He just wanted to kill them all.

Then Sionis' friend unlocked all the other doors, such as Jerome's, Sionis' and Scarlet's, before he disappeared completely.

It's been quiet ever since. No one said a word, no one moved, it was like everyone even stopped breathing - we all were thunderstruck.

Scarlet pulse was running, the sweat already dropped down my forehead, and her actual slowly breathing echoed through my cell.

Pins and needles covered all over her skin, adrenaline rushed through her veins. She was so excited to break free, she couldn't wait a second to finally escape.

Suddenly Dobkins ran out of his cell, screaming and laughing and making weird movements with his arms. He ran across the floor, at first downstairs to get the guards' full attention. You heard them scream to run after Dobkins and try to catch him.

Right after he disappeared behind the corner, Jerome, Sionis and I smashed our doors open and got out.

"Time has come, let's hope the plan works." Sionis pant loading his gun while giving Jerome and me a stern look. They simply nodded.

"The detonator?" Scarlet asked, grabbing the guns Sionis gave her. She hid one in her shoe, two others in her trousers and her bra.

"I got it." Jerome grabbed it from his pocket and moved his hand as emphasis "Just need to press the red button and all the cars shoot in the air."

"You are able to wait and follow commands?." Sionis scoffed at the questioning. He couldn't believe that. Jerome would never ever follow any command. He couldn't. He sees himself as 'the boss' so no one was a higher authority than him.

"I don't need to follow commands. I can predict what's gonna happen now. First of all, Dobkins screams any insane nonsense while running." Jerome said. Within a second, you heard Dobkins running through the halls and screaming stuff like 'we're free! You can't get me!'

"That's nothing. I could have predicted this, too. Dobkins is quite obvious in his actions" Scarlet nodded her eyes in annoyance. She knew Dobkins inside out already - and she was the little chap in the group. It was because Dobkins was too obvious. He always screamed, talked nonsense, he was mostly absent through his voices, and he loved to kill people.

"Hush doll," Jerome covered my mouth with his hand. "Here comes the most exciting part! The cops get him through besieging him from all sides. His little pals aren't very amused about that."

And in this moment you heard the guards scream 'Guys get him! Along the floor! He can't escape if you hurry up!'. That all was followed by grunting and panting, crazy laughter and screams - then something banged on the ground. Like Jerome predicted: the guards got him now. You heard Dobkins yelling something unclearly, the guards just laughed about Dobkins' failed try to escape.

It was unbelievable, Scarlet thought, how did he do that? How could he predict something like that on point? She was fascinated and surprised by Jerome - even more than before. She didn't regret collaborating with him at all. She even started to love it.

"And since they're now celebrating their triumph and forget about anything else.... The bombs explode...," He waited a few seconds, Sionis and Scarlet already covered our ears since they knew exploding bombs were extremely loud "Now!"

As Jerome pressed the button though, nothing happened. He pressed the button over and over again in confusion - still nothing. Why is it not working?, he thought, everything was calculated correctly! I never made mistakes! He became furious. The problem was, no one had a plan B. They all just focused on plan A - and especially now, they had no time to figure out a band-aid. They had to improvise anyhow in the hope it will work.

"I thought your friend knows how to build bombs!" Jerome was giving Sionis a death stare "...everything you need to do on your own..." Jerome cursed, shaking his head.

"Guess your little friend just pretended to be your friend," Scarlet muttered pissed "There you can see, never trust a fucking cop!"

"Instead of nagging at me like little bitches we should figure out a band-aid!" Sionis yelled in anger. He couldn't understand why his friend disappointed him that much. Did he really do that on purpose? Or did it happen by accident? He wasn't sure. Maybe his friend switched sides? Maybe he wasn't as loyal asSionis always thought?

Before any of them could give an answer, they heard the cops running upstairs - they knew it. They knew Jerome, Scarlet and Sionis tried to escape. 'Faster!' Some of the cops yelled as they were about to run upstairs.

Scarlet's pulse was running, her adrenaline rushed through her blood and veins. Sweat was dripping down her forehead, her palms were sweaty and cold while the rest of her skin was quite warm.

That's what she hated most: figuring out a quick plan spontaneously. This situation pressured her so much that even if she had an idea, she knew it wouldn't work even though nothing was well-prepared.

"Great idea, Sionis! We haven't thought of it ourselves!" Jerome muttered sarcastically.

"You know what?! Fuck off! Ima shoot that bastard and his friends now because I don't wanna wait for them like a stupid whore on a sidewalk!" Scarlet quickly loaded her guns and jogged to the cops' direction. This reaction was like a kickback - it usually happened when she was overwhelmed with situations. It wasn't planned, it wasn't well-conceived. She just saw it as a last opportunity to escape anyhow.

"Hello you little motherfuckers!!" Scarlet yelled through the floor laughing and hammered against the wall to get as much attention as possible "I've heard you caught Dobkins?! How about you try it with Sionis, Jerome and me?!" Shelaughed "It's like a little level-up! It's just...there's no guarantee any of you will survive!"

The guards came closer, their steps became louder. They yelled loud bringing themselves into positions and called for more back-ups.

"What about we play a little game? One head, one shot?"

"I like that game, it sounds a lot of fun." Jerome mumbled for himself with a smirk. He loved that side of Scarlet. It was so bloodthirsty, so cruel and so chaotic - perfect for him.

"Oh, it is Jerome," Scarlet glanced at him, still smirking. "It's even more adventurous when guards use their weapons as well!"

"There's no reasonable chance you can win!" I suddenly heard Sionis' bastard of a friend yelled at them, as they arrived, pointing all their guns at them "You're just three little scumbags in comparison to us!"

"Scumbags you say?" Jerome suddenly uttered with his usual dark grin "What about the biggest scumbag stops hiding and crawls out of his little hole?"

"Shut up Jerome!" Sionis hissed though he apparently smelled the danger in this situation. He respected the guards apparently since they knew everything about them and our usual plan now.

"What's that for a cop, huh? First dealing with serial killers like Sionis, Scarlett or me...handing us arms and blueprints and now you're too afraid of the law that you hide behind your good cop scam."

While Jerome kept talking to the guards, Scarlet took the opportunity to take some steps downstairs to have a better view over the cops. She tried to be hidden still. She didn't want them to point all the guns at her.

She faced Sionis' friend and pointed with the gun at his head. This bastard had to die, she thought, no one needed a snitch.

"One thing that aroused my interest, my fella," Jerome started "How is life as a ja-..."

She shot his head. His now dead body immediately collapsed on the ground like a jack knife and fell down a few stairs.

Everybody flinched either in surprise or shock.

Guards cursed, yelled his name not believing he got shot, others loaded their guns looking for me and some started to shoot as well.

"100 points for Scarlett Patel!" Scarlet cheered laughing "Straight in the face!"

"Good shoot, doll!" Jerome applauded "My turn now!" But before this could happen the cops started shooting at us running upstairs.

Immediately, Sionis, Jerome and Scarlet started running through the halls. They had no clue where to run. They just knew they had to run away from the cops and hoped not to get shot.

They ran downstairs to some other halls in the hole they were near the exit - they had no clue they were not.

The guards kept running, you could hear them panting, grunting and yelling - then they started to shoot again. Some bullets hit the walls, others hit the grids from the cells - and one bullet hit Scarlet's stomach.

"Fuck!" Scarlet cursed stumbling over my now bleeding leg and fell on the ground.

Blood was spread across her clothings and the ground - it wouldn't stop. The blood was floating like a river - the cop probably hit an organ or some veins.

The pain was gruesome she felt. Her leg felt numb through the pain shot down from her stomach and increased in my upper leg - that cop hit a nerve. Breathing became harder, Scarlet somehow felt poorly probably caused by the pain as well.

Though there was no time to care about the wounds,she thought, so she stood up fast and continued running. Running was horrible. After a few steps already, her leg became numb again and she stumbled. The pain worsened as well, it was unbearable. She couldn't run anymore even though she wanted to. She didn't want to be the reason why they failed to escape. She didn't want to be the loser that felt guilty in the end.

"You're too slow doll," Jerome suddenly grabbed her waist and carried her through the floor while running.

His arms were tighy wrapped around her body like a mother who was protecting her child from danger. Scarlet's legs were tightly wrapped around his waist to take a stable position. One of her arms was also wrapped around his neck as well getting a good hold.

Shewas astonished about his strength and endurance. He had no problems with running, he didn't even gasped for air. He was like a competitive sportsman at a marathon.

Scarlet was now turned to the guards that she had the best view to shoot at the guards. She loaded her guns and started to shoot - she killed a few cops. Some headshots, some were shit in the torso, some in the stomach, as well. This was the vengeance for shooting at her, Scarlet thought.

"We need reinforcement! They're on the 4th floor!" I saw a guard yelling through a walkie talkie. At this moment, Scarlet wanted to shoot at him but the munition was empty. Fuck, she thought and threw the empty gun at them.

"Sionis! Gimme your gun!" She yelled at him reaching her hand out to him.

"No munition!" His answer annoyed her. They wouldn't accomplish to escape, she thought, now it was impossible.

Suddenly Jerome stopped running instantly that Scarlet almost fell out of his arms.

She turned around giving him a questioning look at first but then she saw the guards' so called reinforcement. Something about 12 guards and a Chinese baldy in a gown. He gave all of them a mischievous grin signalizing Scaret he had something in mind. He looked like a professor. Maybe he was experimenting something? Maybe he had plans with them? Scarlet wasn't sure about him. She didn't trust him.

"Who's that little goblin?" Jerome frowned "You went astray to your little wonderland?"

"I've heard about your interesting charm already, Jerome, I'm Hugo Strange, the asylum's manager" The baldy chuckled walking a few steps towards us, then he glanced at me "Mrs.Patel, you should go see one of our doctors. They must stop the bleeding and fix your wounds."

"Don't worry about me baldy. I'll be fine" Scarlet smirked trying to avoid the pain "So what now? You got us! You wanna shoot at us? Torture us? Doing weird experiments with us?"

"We'll discuss that if your health conditions are better," Hugo Strange behold his clock on his wrist "Due to the current time, you've lost a huge amount of blood. Your pale, almost white skin tells me your circulation is about to fall enormously." He turned to the guards "Call a doctor and prepare a room for the upcoming surgeries" Some guards just nodded and left us.

"Surgeries? No need doc, I'm feeling fantastic," Scarlet grinned, even though she felt horrible.

Feeling poorly worsened, her legs were shaky, and she even started to see blurred. At the same time, Shefelt hot and cold - pins and needles covered her skin while her sweat was dripping down her head.

Shelooked down to the ground suddenly seeing a huge puddle of blood - and it didn't stop dripping down her leg. She knew she was fucked. Since she even now lost the ability to hear on my left ear, Scarlet knew she was close to collaps, maybe even to die. In this moment, she didn't really paid attention to her current health conditions though, her will to prove anybody she was a strong person was way stronger - as said, she didn't want to be the loser in the group.

Trying to make a few steps, she immediately stumbled through her shot leg became numb completely. She lost the hold as she tried to load it with her weight. Jerome's arm's grabbed her under her armpits fast to give me a hold. One of his hands pressed on her stomach wound, her blood literally oozed through his fingers. He was worried about her, he was actually panicking. Seeing his doll like that was the worst he has ever seen. Will she die? She can't! She's not allowed to die!, he though, she has to survive! He has made plans together, what to do after they achieved to break free! He wondered why the guards took so long. The baldy told them to hurry up.

"You're okay, doll?" He softly slapped her cheek to get her attention - too late though, she passed out. Fury, despair and helplessness filled Jerome's body. He was about to lose his lady - eventually forever, and all that because of these bastards.

"I'm sure the doctor will arrive very soon" Hugo Strange assured Jerome with a smile. He knew what all that caused in Jerome. He was fascinated to see this. Never has he ever experienced that an inmate felt such a passion for another.

"Oh, I'll hope so for you" Jerome hissed in madness and anger, digging his nails in Scarlet's flesh "If my doll dies right before the doc arrives, you'll wish you're dead before I can get you"

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falling-c · 3 years ago

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Thoughts

Hey guys, I guess this is my first time uploading anything on this account. Well, we all of our first of anything right? Might as well enjoy it.

Lately, I decided to watch the new Proud Family, Louder and Prouder on Disney+. Let me tell you, it was not what I was expecting. Along with the addition of Michal as one of the core group, we have the new extremely woke girl and her brother who were adopted by a gay couple. That’s something that personally I love to see but it’s also a topic for another day.

Right now, I wanna talk about another new character, and the guy who looks like Penny main love interest, Jerome. I love this man. He is an amazing character to have in modern day black television. I know it may be a hot take, but a six foot six black male in a tv show who doesn’t do sports, NOT BECAUSE HES WEIRD, but because he simply has no interest. It’s amazing because it breaks a stereotype that we as black people have for ourselves.

Trust me when I say I understood a large part of his struggles. I myself am a 6’10” black male in college. Yes, I actually do play basketball but for me it’s never been something I really cared much for. To me, sports have always been a burden that distracts me from work. It takes up so much time and usually adds more stress into my daily life. I know what you’re wondering, then why do it? Well I’ll tell you this it’s not because financially, I wouldn’t be able to afford the college I’m currently at without it. It’s for the exact same reason I wanted to write this.

I play basketball because if I don’t, there’s something wrong with me. It‘s one thing for it to be only the white people who view it that way but it’s something completely different when a black person does. It takes away apart of the blackness I have. It robs me of being anything more than tall-for-nothin or a-waste-of-height. No matter what level I’m on academically or artistically, that doesn’t matter. If I don’t play then I am the one something is wrong with.

To see someone represent this mindset if I am more than an a athlete and I don’t have to be that, it’s powerful to me. My parents, on the other hand, saw this and said that it was goofy. How are you gonna be that tall and play the cello? With the last bit of the episode as well, when he told Penny to be true to herself and we found out he could play but was pretending he couldn’. My parents reacted with so he’s pretending he can’t play and going of to play cello, weird, goofy. I understood why he would do that too. When you have people walking up to you everyday, asking the same questions.

“How tall are you?”

”You play basketball?”

”Who you play for.” It gets exhausting! As I said before it’s one thing if it’s white people only but it’s not. Since when did the ideal standard for black men become tall dumb athlete? Why is it that for so many people the moment they hit a certain height we are cursed to either play a sport we may not really care for or be subjugated to the list of people considered weird just because we refuse to play a sport.

I remember when I first started playing basketball. It was just before fifth grade. I didn’t care for the sport. In fact, I didn’t even wanna go, but my parents had me go anyway. It was good for me to interact with other black kids my own age and from early on my parents thought I had some sorta skill. To this day they remember me playing against teams filled with people from the real hood and their drug dealer of a coach and how everyone else on my team was scared besides me. To be honest I don’t remember that day, I don’t remember most games I played. By that point I just did well because I knew I could go to target if I did well.

Along with that I can tell you how later on my performance on the basketball court would get me into more trouble then Some bad grades ever would. People always say student athlete but let’s be real for both black and white people it’s a lie in regards to our young black men.

why do we have our men coming out of D1 college with useless degrees? Why do we have our men not getting to college on an athletic scholarship and breaking down because no colleges are looking at them? Why do we have young boys getting prepped to go and play sports with the idea that the NBA is their future. People love to talk about Black Leadership this and Black excellence that, but when are we going to realize that our young black men are all being filtered into the same cycle that keeps the rich people up in Nike wealthy?

To me Athlete’s are glorified slaves and yet we encourage our young men to pursue being the head negro in charge. Dreams like being a doctor, a musician, a lawyer, they’re cute but meant for people under 6ft. Once you’re above that it’s time to shoot for the league or find some shitty job to work at but hey at least you can say “Yeah, I hoop.”

I know it sounds strange for some but how did we come to have our values so … confused.

#personal thoughts #proud family louder and prouder #black men

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piper-williamson · 4 years ago

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my hoa ranking of characters — least favorite to favorite

not all characters are on this list but the ones i felt like i could rank as of rn. there’s too many minor characters i don’t care for and it’s not that i particularly care for the others i just remembered them enough to rank.

~~~~~~~~~~

rufus — -70969943853/10

kidnapped patricia. and jerome. and trudy. willing to commit human sacrifice of a kid. threatened them with electric bees or whatever. have had nightmares about him. thrilled that bitch is dead

denby — -10/10

so threatening with her words but she’s all talk. no action. kinda makes me hate her more? but in a different way. storyline is so messy like how did she even find out harriet’s destiny and how did she then decide she wanted to awaken a >hundred year old man and basically a hell demon?? like girl just go work for donald trump or somethin

vera — -6/10

not as annoying as denby but still like what did she even want? to be with rufus? why?!?? creepy af the time she was frozen dead but like not.

mick — 1/10

just,,, there. all he does is be in love triangles and play the sports. half of his storylines are just him leaving. patricia says there’s a man in the house (rufus) and he eats a banana. n who gives their gf and “just a friend” matching bracelets?!? 1 point for not being evil.

victor — 1.5/10

as much as i wanna put him above mick, he yells too much. calm down old man. 1 point for caring for the kids enough to not carry on when he found out about the whole human sacrifice thing. also saving joy in s2. y’know what he gets half a point more than mick.

trudy — 4/10

trudy is heartwarming but holy shit is she oblivious. Is Just Ok with “robert smith” being there even when she has no confirmation of his identity. very loyal to the kids and does protect them from a lot of shit. writers did her dirty a lot of the time.

mara — 5/10

ok listen. i don’t dislike mara. i just tend to favor the sibuna mystery storylines, and all of her stories are more realistic scenarios. that being said i love her helping poppy and i also love the sisterhood thing in s3. but also mara why the FUCK would you fall for mick like he’s mick??!?

kt — 7/10

written into hoa way better than on shows like h2o where there’s just one sentence about emma being gone and that’s that. she wasn’t just nina’s replacement, she was her own person. love her personality and her friendship with eddie. 100% a lesbian. only reason she’s so low is cuz no matter how good she is of a replacement character she still kinda is one and i don’t do well with those. i’m working on it.

nina — 8/10

i love nina so much. fabina is so cute together. i think the only reason i have her so low and don’t wanna put her higher is cuz i always hate main characters, even though i don’t hate nina. my mind is strange.

amber — 8/10

dumb blonde stereotype but who cares i love her. provides much comic relief for me especially in s2. ping pong queen. also love her bday episode. ungrateful for alfie at times. also liked mick but it’s a little more understandable cuz Hot Guy cliche. but was also mean to mara about it. but also a lot of that was mick’s fault #blamemick

alfie — 8/10

class clown who’s loyal af. Actually completes amber’s bf trial list. would go through hell for her. always feeling like he has to prove himself to the group but he’s always been an asset. we love him.

willow — 8/10

was such a comfort character when i was little. for some reason rewatching she was less of one. still absolutely so pure of heart and lovable. somebody get this girl a hedgehog.

eddie — 9/10

cool dude™. top notch bf. peddie is one of my fav ships ever. he kinda gets all heroic in s3 but s3 has a whole set of issues. plot twist reveal of his daddy issues. great development while being a great character the whole time.

fabian — 9/10

such a solid dude. guy-falls-for-girl-first trope to the max. he’s awkward and nerdy but not really cocky or annoying. fabian defense squad for life. point off for kissing joy like dude besides the outfit she looks nothing like nina come on.

jerome — 9/10

terrible person at times, but great character. comfort character of mine. his flaws allowed him to be developed throughout the show. he feels very real and human and i love him.

piper - 10/10

obsessed w her cuz i’m also pretty similar to her. both of us go (went) to music school and love patricia. not that i think she’s a BETTER character than a lot of the characters lower on this list, but this is a ranking of my favs so she has to be above them.

joy — 10/10

also a comfort character. i honestly feel most like joy out of all the characters. similar to jerome in that her character flaws lead to richer development. i live for it. was Literally held hostage by her parents and forced into a cult in s1. most of anubis house seemed to just brush that off. that doesn’t excuse her actions, but i love her growth throughout the series. not higher cuz she was kind of a dick to nina for a long while.

patricia — 10000000000+++/10

again i wish there were an infinity symbol. do i even have to say anything? witty and sarcastic and says what’s on her mind. i wish i were eddie cuz i’m in love w her. i know amber’s the one who went to fashion school, but patricia is a style icon. my gay awakening.

#sibuna ranks #sibuna x #rufus zeno #mick campbell #victor rodenmaar jr #mara jaffray #kt rush #nina martin #amber millington #alfie lewis #willow jenks #eddie miller #fabian rutter #jerome clarke #piper williamson #joy mercer #patricia williamson

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hotvintagepoll · 10 months ago

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Propaganda

Irene Dunne (The Awful Truth, Theodora Goes Wild, My Favorite Wife)— The first time I saw her in Theodora Goes Wild she struck me dumb because who is that BEAUTIFUL woman being so funny and clever??? She was primarily known as a dramatic actress (and believe you me those are muscles she can FLEX, Penny Serenade hurts my feelings) but she’s also one of the funniest screwball leading ladies I’ve ever seen. Her films with Cary Grant are especially charming, but all her characters have this knowing quality in the heart of them that’s so intriguing, and her screwball girlies have this freedom to go after what (or who) they want that is delightfully subversive. I want to be her, I want to fuck her, I want to see every movie she’s ever done, she is a brilliant actress and she is my dream woman.

Devika Rani (Achhut Kanya)—She was grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore (laureate). She was sent to boarding school in England at age nine and grew up there. After completing her schooling, she joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Royal Academy of Music to study acting and music, at a time when aristocratic women did not enter showbiz. She studied filmmaking in Berlin. It is well known that she underwent training at the UFA Studios in the art and technique of acting under Eric Pommer, and other aspects of film production including costume and set designing and make-up, under eminent directors like GW Pabst, Fritz Lang, Emil Jannings and Josef von Sternberg. She is also reported to have worked with Marlene Dietrich. She had a multi-faceted personality and took on many responsibilities of film production at Bombay Talkies, a studio that she co-founded with Himanshu Rai in Mumbai in 1934. She often took care of hair and make up, supervised set design and editing, scouted for new talent and mentored them. She was the face of Bombay Talkies, and also the reason behind the political and financial backing the studio received, at a time when even women from red light districts refused to work as actresses. She was the first recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, when it was instituted in 1970.

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Irene Dunne:

irene excelled in screwball comedies, musicals, melodramas...she could do it all. she often played elegant society ladies and brought sparkling charisma and poise for days to anything she did, and sang like an angel (she pursued opera before going into moves), her rendition of jerome kern's "smoke gets in your eyes" in roberta moves me to tears every time.

youtube

A fantastic star of screwball comedies Irene Dunne is an undersung hot woman in my opinion. She rose to fame in her roles alongside the likes of Cary Grant, and was usually the funniest person in her movies. And the hottest.

She's snarky, and quick, prone to rolling her eyes, and eager to trip her counterparts up. In short, she was a devilish, charming, problem of a woman in many of her films, the pinnacle of hotness.

She’s so gorgeous and funny and her way of acting is so fresh and timeless! She’s the complete package of hotness to me with her talents, humor, and, of course, hot looks. I named my left tit after her to hopefully attract even a smidgen of her beauty and charm.

Devika Rani:

Achhut Kanya (1936) is the only one of hers I've seen but hot DAMN

#devika rani #irene dunne #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 2 #Youtube

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obislittleone · 4 years ago

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Cruel Irony

5/?

Bale!Bruce Wayne x Reader

Okay so like I mentioned in the author not of my Jerome fic, tomorrow I will not be updating I.I. but instead will be posting a request! Reminder that requests are open!!!

Series Summary: Growing up on infinity Island, Moyra is taught very well in the art of assassination. As the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, she sits highly amongst the brotherhood known as the League of Shadows. When her father orders her to lure a stranger from the outside to be recruited amongst the mysterious clan, she will question everything she's ever believed.

Chapter Warnings: very close proximity?? Idek lol... oh and also mad dad bc of the lad

(This sword flourish is the hottest thing i-)

The next morning I woke entangled in the arms of the man I was trying to keep warm last night. He was fully back to his regular body temperature, and maybe a bit over now. I knew that I had to get myself away from this tangled situation, to spare us both an awkward morning. Before he woke up, I carefully and strategically managed to maneuver myself around and out of the bed. He didn't even flinch a muscle by the time i was done.

I heaved a breath and headed for the door. Carefully opening it and slipping out while staring back upon his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, and sweet. I smiled softly while closing the door, peeping through the slit as it got narrower with my pulling on the handle. When it was all the way closed, I turned around, dropping and hitting the ground from how frightened I was to see my father standing right behind me this whole time.

"You could have told me you were there..." I mumbled as I retrieved myself from the floor. The look on his face told me something was wrong, and the glint in his eye told me it was probably my fault.

"Come with me, I need to speak with you." He said, walking down the corridor to where there was an opening. I followed him out onto one of the decks, looking out and seeing the sun had just finished rising over the mountain tops. It would be a beautiful sight, if I wasn't so nervous to hear what my father would say.

"So-"

"What was your intention? Did you think I would not find out?" He asked sternly. I wasn't totally clueless, yet I needed confirmation that we were both speaking of the same ordeal.

"What do you mean?" It came out sounding like I was playing dumb, but he would tell me anyway, so my wording would suffice.

"You are to look upon Bruce Wayne the same way you look upon the rest of your brothers. You cannot do the things of which you have done." He made it perfectly clear the topic of discussion. I figured that was what this was about, and now that I knew, I still didn't know how to respond. I sat for a second contemplating what I should tell him. Would he even believe me?

"I do look upon him the same. He and I get along better because we have more in common, that's all." Even I had convinced myself that was the truth. What would I even tell my father of the other feelings I felt for Bruce if I wasn't even sure what they were?

"You may think you can lie to me, Moyra... but you cannot. I have seen the glances you share. He looks at you the same way. It mustn't happen. He is to be your brother, and you his sister... nothing more." He spoke with his loud and authoritative voice, and since I hadn't truly heard it directed towards me for a while, it made me a bit aggressive. I would not be told how to look upon someone, for that was pure nonsense.

"There's nothing wrong with the way we look at each other. He is the best friend I've ever had the pleasure of making, and my bond with him is simply different than that of with the rest." I said, every word coming short and detached. I was perfectly satisfied with the way I'd spoken my piece, and turned around to leave before anything else could be said.... but there was more.

"Moyra." He said sternly, and I stopped in my tracks. "You spent the night in his bed."

I turned around and waited for him to finish, for I knew he wasn't quite done.

"Tell me what this is between the two of you." He commanded, and I sought no way out. The truth would do me good, for it was plain and simple.

"I don't even know what these feelings for him are, so I don't know what is between us." I said, waiting for a reply. I wished this conversation to be over, as I found it discomforting and stressful.

"I told you, I know when you lie..."

"And did I lie?" I looked him straight on. I'd gotten him, and he had nothing else to say.

Maybe I should have asked him what he thought my feelings for Bruce were. He usually knew everything. He might have been able to help me, but I was simply too proud of my victory to let him have the satisfaction, so I turned on my heels and left.

That afternoon I did my best to avoid my father, knowing that it could only result in a fight. I would like to think I was being the bigger person when in reality, I was being a baby about it all.

I didn't want to butt heads anymore with my father. We had been close since the day I'd come to train with him after my mother died. I didn't like to thimk that there was something making us drift apart, and that something, or someone, rather, wasn't even trying to.

I spent most the day with Bruce, since he had minimal training, and wasn't assigned any extra work around the place. I suppose it was kind of like a day off, but not entirely.

We played some games out on the deck to pass the time, and talked a bit to pass some more. It was a bit groggy outside, and the clouds that settled in were full of rain. It was sure to be riddled with thunder and lightning later tonight. The atmosphere was damp, which made the air smell lovely. Overall the evening came with a wonderful ambience. I loved it when it rained here. It was always cold, but there was just something about sitting in bed, wrapped in a blanket and listening to the raindrops fall down the glass windows that made the extra frigid weather tolerable.

By the time the rain actually did set in, Bruce and I had ended up in my room. We sat on the floor, the checker board splayed between us. I'd won six out of seven games thus far, but he said we could not stop playing until he at least won two. So we played four more games after, and he'd still lost.

"I don't know how you do it. It should be so easy-"

"Easy to beat someone who has studied strategy since she was eight?" I bragged slightly, but also helping him to justify his losses.

"Well when you put it like that..." he said, putting the pieces into the box followed by the game board.

"What happened to winning at least twice?" I crossed my arms and leaned my back against my bed while he put the box on the shelf by the wall.

"Given that you already let me win once, I think twice is a longshot. Besides, it's getting late." He said, with a shrug of his shoulders. I stood up and met him at the door before he left for the night. "I will beat you one day, don't worry."

"I'm counting on it." I smiled, letting him get to his own room before shutting my door.

I wanted to relax and enjoy the sounds of the rain beating down outside, but there was something missing.

I'd even snuggled down in my bed, wrapping myself tightly in a blanket, but still I wasn't able to rest properly. There was definitely something that I couldn't put my finger on, that I wanted for myself to be able to enjoy this stormy night to the fullest.

I tossed and turned, trying to think, when suddenly it dawned on me. I huffed a loud sigh, realizing I would have to get out of bed again after I'd gotten warm. All for the greater good of the night I suppose. I kept my blanket haphazardly wrapped around my shoulders when I got up.

I opened my door and took a few steps to knock on the next, looking left and right to make sure no unwanted eyes were lurking.

It took a few seconds, but the door did open, and bruce was half asleep standing in the doorway. He smiled a little, and I saw the sleepiness in his squinted eyes.

"Can I stay with you again?" I asked quickly and hopefully. He let out a chuckle before nodding and standing aside for me to come in. He shut the door, not caring how loudly it sounded when it closed.

I crawled into bed, the side that was closer to the wall this time, and waited for him to lay down. Though I'd tried not to focus on it, his bare chest was right in my view when he laid next to me.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked me when he got situated. Both blankets were engulfing us now, and I knew this was what I felt was missing. He made this rainy evening the best it possibly could be.

"Kinda... it's just really cold, and you're comfy." I joked, curling into his side for emphasis. I didn't plan on staying that close, but his hands kept me in place next to him.

He stayed silent for a while, and I thought he'd fallen asleep, but out of nowhere his voice gently raised enough for me to hear him over the crackle of thunder in the distance.

"I meant to ask earlier, but I forgot.... what's happened with you and your father? You both were acting as though the other were a plague." He didn't mean any harm in asking, and truth be told it wouldn't do any, as long as I wasn't the one to steer it into a bad place.

"Well, he's a bit... confused. He thinks that I look at you differently than I do the others." I said blatantly, not beating around any bushes to make my point.

"Do you?" He asked curiously.

"Sort of...." I began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I've never really felt the same around them. Like with you, I feel I could tell you anything. My brothers aren't ones to joke around like we are. They're always so serious... I can't have fun with them like I can with you."

He understood that part of it, but he was itching to have a question answered.

"So do you see me as your brother?" He shifted next to me, almost as if he was bracing himself. For what, I would never know.

"No... I'm not really sure what I see you as, but you're far too different from the others for me to call you my brother." I assured him. He seemed to relax from what was formerly a slightly tense state, and he pulled me closer with one arm.

"Well don't I feel special." He said playfully, and we both shared a quiet laugh before letting our words come to an end for the night. Somehow along the next few minutes, with our close vicinities, my head eneded up in his chest, and his other arm around my waist. It was comfortable, and we didn't move. We both fell asleep to the sound of raindrops slowing down. The rain was steeping up and we'd spent the majority of the lovely storm in the presence of each other. It made for a wonderful memory I suppose.

Tags are open!

@huntheimpossible @testudies

#bale!bruce wayne #christian bale #bale!batman x reader #bale!batman #batman x reader #batman begins #batman #bruce wayne imagine #bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne #the dark knight #the joker

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charlie-pippin-faraday · 3 years ago

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since I love your trixie fic so much, patricia, alfie and jerome hcs?

God I love them so much it’s unbelievable

they are the ONLY ones allowed to call her Trixie. No one knows how it came about, but there’s definitely a reason for it. If anyone other than them calls her Trixie that person WILL get beat up

Joy and Fabian have tried many many times over the years to learn the origin of the Trixie nickname, but those three are taking it to the GRAVE they are never telling

they definitely played a bunch of dungeons and dragons and other related games

they all know random secrets about each other

Patricia has said over and over again that she doesn’t dance, and they’ve definitely used this as a method to terrorize her. They have both tried to dance with her and danced around her because they know she hates it

the boys are genuinely shocked when Patricia starts developing feelings for Eddie; they didn’t think it was possible for her to actually like someone, and they tease her RELENTLESSLY about it

deep down they are really happy that she’s happy

They all care about each other deeply which Patricia and jerome in particular would absolutely never admit

They regularly make dumb bets with each other all the time

they did karaoke one time. It was awful. The boys have video of Patricia singing Barbie girl that they regularly use as blackmail

remember in S2 when alfie suggested to Jerome that they should sabotage Fabian and Joy’s movie date and throw popcorn at them? They do EXACTLY this to Patricia and Eddie one time. Except eventually Patricia notices them, realizes it’s them, and retaliates by angrily throwing popcorn back at them and starting a popcorn war. All 4 of them get kicked out of the movie theater

neither of the boys get their license until deep into college, so she’s the only one of them who can drive even though she’s not necessarily good. They fight for who rides shotgun but then whoever wins regrets it because 1) it’s terrifying and 2) she makes that person navigate and hold all her stuff

can you say road trip? The three of them on a road trip would be disastrous and hilarious

I have an image in my mind of the three of them chilling in a car somewhere eating stuff from a drive thru. A very nice and calming image to me

They hang out all the time, throughout college and into adulthood

They’re EXTREMELY protective of her, even though she’s definitely a few months older than both of them. When Eddie proposes they give him the classic big brother talk and threaten him, even though he is not at all threatened

the two of them can hoist her up between them on their shoulders. They do this in the photobooth at her wedding

when they get like an actual house (or like, the next step beyond a little apartment), Patricia and Eddie make Jerome and alfie help move all their stuff in. They pay them in pizza

I’m very attached to this one: When she and Eddie have kids, the first kid is a boy and they name it after them - Jeremy Alfred Miller. Jerome cries

they also get to be co-godfather of their second kid, a daughter (since Fabian was godfather to the first kid)

their kids absolutely fucking LOVE Jerome and alfie. They’re the best uncles. Their son thinks Jerome is really cool and their daughter completely ADORES alfie to the end of the earth

Okay I definitely have more but this is all I can think of right now in the car

#I’m VERY attached to the kids one #if any one of you don’t like I don’t wanna hear it #house of anubis #hoa ama #ama #asks #isabela-merced

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sweettoothedtrickster13 · 3 years ago

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On the Run chapter 40

Summary: A lesson

AO3 Portal

Waylon wakes up and goes downstairs, finding Eddie and Jess already up and making breakfast side by side, as usual. Trevor is sitting at the island and Waylon joins him.

"They don't let you help either, huh," Trevor asks.

Waylon laughs. "They say I just get in the way."

Breakfast is done soon and then they eat. Waylon washes dishes with Trevor, the man drying the plates Waylon hands him.

When they're finished, Trevor sits on the couch and scrolls through his phone. Waylon joins him and picks up a book. Jess' laptop makes her push notification sound and he looks up to watch her react. Her face turns from interested to grim.

Eddie and Waylon look at each other, uneasy. "What do you have," Eddie asks, making his spot and putting his book aside.

"VIRALeaks got back to me about the team in town," Jess says.

"Do you want me to go upstairs," Trevor asks. "So y'all can talk freely?"

"No. You need the information too."

Trevor nods. "Barnabas Barnes, Hendrix Thorpe, Jay Clifton, Dorean Wescott, Eve Warwick, Chet Breckenridge, Adrian Levett, Chantal Victors, Russ Summers, Anabelle Blackburn, and Hector Georgeson," Jess lists off names.

"Eleven people," Waylon demands, flabbergasted. Jess nods. He looks at Eddie, who looks pained. "That's way too many."

"Nothing we can do about the number," Jess points out. "Let's see. Most of them are trained military, the rest are military contractors."

"This is awful," Waylon says. Eddie puts his hand on his shoulder and squeezes gently.

"You three'll get through this," Trevor nods. "I believe in you. Plus, we'll help."

"Thanks, Trevor," Jess smiles a little. "But we need a plan."

"Jess, they're former military," Waylon exclaims, throwing his arms up and dislodging Eddie's hand. "And probably just as ruthless as Murkoff usually is, if not more so. What could we possibly do?"

"Kill them," Eddie offers. The other three just look at him. "Joking. Mostly."

"Look, we can just avoid them," Jess says. "Trevor's here now, that keeps the house safe with the buddy system. What I did with Jerome should keep them off our backs surveillance-wise. He'll recruit some people to scan the town, make sure we find out where the bugs and cameras are."

"You think they put bugs and cameras up," Waylon asks. "Bugs are recording devices," he explains to Eddie, who nods his thanks.

"I would if I were them. But when they find them, I'll tell them not to take them down."

"Why not," Eddie asks before Waylon can.

"We can feed them misinformation. Plus, I don't want them to know that we know what's going on. Playing dumb is our best bet."

Waylon exhales slowly. He knows Jess is probably right. Murkoff is tech-savvy, even more so than he originally thought. They had caught him when he sent them email for starters. But Jess knows how to hack and avoid detection.

"How do you know all this," Eddie asks.

"Lots and lots of movies," Jess replies. "Plus when I was a kid I read a lot of spy books. Never thought the information would actually come in handy," she smiles ruefully. "That's all I can think of for right now. We can always change our plan as time goes on. As for right now," she says, and looks at Eddie. "We should teach Way how to fight."

Eddie nods and walks to the backyard. Waylon follows him, leaving Jess and Trevor inside.

"This is useless," Waylon says. "Didn't you hear Jess? They're military," he stresses again.

Eddie looks at him. "The cops who came to arrest me were trained, too," he points out.

"Eddie, they caught you."

"Yes, but I held them off for a bit."

"How long is 'a bit,'" Waylon asks, eyebrow raised. Eddie's face heats up. "That's what I thought."

"This is still important," Eddie says. "If you can manage to hold them off, even for minutes, then we have extra time to come get you."

"I'm never going to be alone! I'll always be with you or Jess," Waylon throws his hands up.

But you'll leave eventually. "Knowing how to fight is a life skill," Eddie says instead of voicing his thoughts. "Even if you never use it, it's good to have in the back of your brain."

"Fine," Waylon gives in. "What are you going to teach me?"

"Nothing formal," Eddie says. "No martial arts, I don't know them. I think Trevor called it 'bar brawling.' I always called it 'street fighting.'"

"Meaning," Waylon prods.

Eddie smiles. "I'm going to teach you how to make someone regret ever having touched you."

"That sounds...ominous."

Eddie chuckles. He looks up when he hears the glass door slide open. Jess comes out, sitting on the step. Trevor is watching TV. "After you go, I'm teaching him what I know," she tells him.

"Good idea."

"Oh God, what did I get myself into," Waylon groans.

"Ok," Eddie says, walking more into their backyard. He looks behind him to where the coop is, and the chickens are pecking at the door to their run. He doesn't want them in the way, so they'll have to put up with it for a bit. Waylon follows him and Eddie turns to face him. "The first thing you have to think before you start doing anything is 'this doesn't have to be a fair fight.'"

"What does that mean," Waylon asks.

"It means do whatever you can to get away," Jess says. "Claw at their eyes, bite their ears, kick them between their legs." Eddie nods.

"Jess will teach you more about that, I think she's more suited for teaching someone your size. All I'll teach you is how to throw a punch."

"I've never thrown a punch before," Waylon admits.

"No, really," Eddie asks. Waylon laughs.

"Ok, ok. I get it."

Eddie chuckles. "When you do throw a punch, you have to keep your wrist straight and make contact with your center knuckle." He makes a fist and points at it. "See how it sticks out the most?" Waylon makes a fist of his own and examines it before he nods. "You don't have to be my size to make it really hurt," Eddie assures him. "You're gonna have to put your whole body into it."

"How do you know so much about teaching someone to fight," Waylon asks.

"No so much teaching but I do remember learning to fight. I didn't have someone to teach me, just trial and error. I broke a few of my own bones before I figured it out."

"You can break your own bones?" Waylon sounds horrified.

"Wrist, fingers, forearm," Jess says. She shrugs when Waylon turns his astonished gaze on her. "Hey, punching takes a shit-ton of force. I went to a self-defense class when I was in high school as a requirement to fill out my gym training. They never taught us how to punch, so when I tried I broke a few fingers."

"Jesus," Waylon mutters.

"But you won't have to worry about that," Eddie says, drawing his attention again. "Because we're going to teach you. Can I see your arm," he asks, extending his hand. Waylon puts the back of his hand in Eddie's waiting one. Eddie lifts them like they're going to arm-wrestle. "Make a fist." Waylon does so. Eddie feels along his forearm. "Hmm. A little weak," Eddie mutters to himself. "So your punches might not be as effective. But you can still target areas that will hurt your opponent."

Waylon nods and Eddie lets go of his arm.

"Next thing you need to learn is to keep your wrists aligned with your forearm when you punch," Eddie continues. "That goes for straight and swinging punches." He turns his side to Waylon and throws a slow-motion punch both ways. "Jabs are great from a distance, swinging body blows are more for close contact."

"Got it."

"You also have to know where to punch someone," Eddie says. "Do not, under any circumstances, try to punch their skull. That's a surefire way to break your wrist and take yourself out of the fight. There are a few places on the face to punch, but not the forehead so don't miss. The nose is a great target. You can also try a swinging punch to their jaw. Right here, too," Eddie points ar a point directly below his breastbone.

"Solar plexus," Jess says from behind Waylon.

"The throat, too. It'll knock the wind out of them. And- I'm sure this will make you wince in sympathy but you have to avoid that during a fight- their groin."

"What if it's a woman," Waylon challenges.

"Still a good place to punch and kick," Jess says, standing up and joining them at last. "It hurts like a motherfucker, I can tell you from experience."

"Now you need to know how to stand," Eddie says.

"Stand," Waylon asks. "Really?"

"To protect yourself from getting hit in the same places you're aiming for," Eddie explains. "You're gonna have to angle your head and chin down a little." He demonstrates and Waylon mimics him.

“A little too much,” Eddie says, reaching out and lifting his chin slightly. He drops Waylon’s face after a second, clearing his throat. “Also, breathe out when you punch,” Eddie says after a moment. He gets into a punching position and looks at Waylon. “Try it.”

Waylon tries, but Eddie has to adjust him a little.

“There, that’s better.”

Waylon relaxes into his normal standing position.

“Ok, now show me,” Eddie says, extending his hand.

“Won’t I hurt you?”

“I’ve taken worse beatings.”

Waylon shrugs, focuses on his palm, get into position, and throws a punch. He misses by a mile, only succeeding in spinning himself out from the force he put in.

“Ok,” Eddie says, catching him. “Good start.”

“‘Good start’?! I didn’t even hit you,” Waylon exclaims, face red.

“But you put your body behind the attempt,” Eddie says, righting him. “Try again.”

This time, Waylon aims a little to the right of Eddie’s hand, and his fist makes contact. He shrinks back at the last second, not wanting to hurt his friend.

“No, see, you’re pulling back when you make contact,” Eddie says.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” Eddie assures him.

“Edster, why don’t we just see if there’s a gym in town, or if we can borrow someone’s personal one?”

“Good idea,” Waylon answers instead.

They go inside. “Trevor,” Jess calls, and he looks over. “Is there a gym in town?”

“No,” he admits.

“Does anyone have a personal one?”

Trevor thinks. “Maybe Jason,” he muses. “I’ll see.” Trevor takes out his phone and sends a text. When he gets the answer, he looks up. “I was right. He’s coming to get y’all now.”

When Jason arrives, Eddie and Waylon get into his car.

“So, why do y’all need my gym,” Jason asks.

“Teaching Sam how to fight,” Eddie explains, switching easily to his fake name.

“Sounds like a good idea.” The drive is short, thankfully, and Jason leads them to his basement. There’s a heavy bag and some weights.

“Thanks, Jason,” Eddie nods.

“No problem. Yell if you need me,” Jason smiles, walking back upstairs.

Waylon looks at the hanging bag with trepidation. He walks forward and gently pushes it, and it barely moves. “What am I supposed to do with this,” he bemoans.

“You don’t have to- and shouldn’t- punch with everything you have at first,” Eddie says. “Start slow and gentle. Your arms are a little weak, so this should strengthen them, too.”

“How slow and gentle,” Waylon asks, soothed.

Eddie demonstrates- his punch moves the bag only slightly more than Waylon’s push had. Waylon nods and gets into the stance Eddie had shown him. “Remember to breathe out,” Eddie says and stands back.

Jess gets the computer and takes up residence on an armchair, queuing up videos and articles teaching Waylon how to fight.

Waylon and Eddie catch a ride back home and it’s nearly dark. Eddie and Jess make dinner for the four of them and then unwind for a bit. Jess keeps seeing Waylon shake his hand out and flex it and smiles privately. That’s a good sign- it means that Eddie really worked with him. They go to bed.

#trickster tales #outlast whistleblower #eddie gluskin #waylon park

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